Digital Shorts: ‘Kill It With Fire’ Review (Nintendo Switch)
In DIGITAL SHORTS we review some of the latest video games that are only available digitally (at least in the UK), in a short-form review format. In this edition we take a look at Kill It With Fire, an arachnaphobe-unfriendly bug hunting game now on the Nintendo Switch.
Much like Steam on PC, Nintendo’s Switch has become home for a myriad of indie games. Which is a double-edged sword – on the one hand it means there’s a TON of games available on the eShop, with plenty of variety meaning you’re sure to find a game that suits your taste; on the other hand there’s a TON of games available on the eShop, with quality control varying WILDLY! Which leads us to Kill It With Fire… which looks like the latter, however it turns out looks aren’t everything and here the gameplay really excels!
Visually, Kill It With Fire looks very basic. Minecraft level basic – no textures, minimal graphics, etc. But the game doesn’t need to look stunning when the gameplay is so addictive… and surprisingly scary! Yes, everyone hates spiders and Kill It With Fire makes good use of that despite the lack of visual flair; and by good use of the hatred of spiders I mean the game tries to scare the crap out of players with spiders appearing at random; then, and this is the worst, jumping out at you on the attack!
Besides the addictive gameplay Kill It With Fire makes superb use of audio. And by superb use I mean the audio is just as terrifying as the spiders! The constant sound of scurrying spider legs, the squeaking, the scratching. It you play Kill It With Fire in handheld mode you REALLY should play this with headphones too. Not just to keep you on your toes but the audio also works to help you track the scary blighters – replacing visual acuity with audio acuity becasue you can’t also see a tiny spider crawling under a couch. But if you can hear it you CAN kill it!
And isn’t that the point of the game. It’s in the title for goodness sake!
Of course despite great gameplay and amazing audio, Kill It With Fire does have an issue. It’s short. Very short. The game has only eight levels, though there are plenty or unlockables, “side” quests and even a hidden final level, and so you can finish this one off in one sitting (if your sitting consists of an entire evenings gaming). Thankfully you can replay levels over with newly-acquired equipment for some extra bang for your proverbial buck. But just be aware you can finish this in uner 6 hours so, as is often said, your mileage may vary.
*** 3/5
Kill It With Fire is available on the Nintendo eShop now.
